1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in one aspect to an apparatus for manufacturing an embroidered carpet. In another aspect, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing an embroidered carpet. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an embroidered carpet of a type such that pile yarn is driven into a substrate cloth with a hook device to form a surface of the carpet which comprises means for driving said hook device along a memorized pattern so as to efficiently manufacture an embroidered carpet with a varigated design which has heretofore been manufactured only manually.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Embroidered carpets are generally classified into tufted carpets and hooked carpets or rugs. Compared with tufted carpets, hooked carpets are advantageous in that they can be made available in a variety of designs, although the productivity is lower.
The conventional hook machine a shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 comprises a movable hollow member b with a beveled end which is adapted to be inserted into a substrate or matrix cloth A, an inserting plate c disposed within said movable hollow member b and adapted to make a loop C of pile yarn B passed into said movable hollow member b, and, optionally, a scissor means d disposed in said movable hollow member b and adapted to cut said loop C of said pile yarn B. In this arrangement, the hook machine a is caused to travel only over the top side (the reverse side of the finished rug) of the substrate cloth A so as to make a weave pattern corresponding to the locus of travel of the hook machine. With this machine, even a carpet with a picturesque design can be manufactured by selecting the proper topographic drive schedule for the hook machine and the proper colors of pile yarn. However, there has been no system that may ensure an automatic drive of the hook device for the manufacture of carpets with varigated patterns. Thus, the operator holds the hook machine by hand and slides it on the substrate cloth to a predetermined pattern. In this manual system, there is a limitation on the traveling attitude of the hook machine, that is to say the hook device a must be driven along in such a manner that the beveled portion at tip of the movable hollow member b will face backward with respect to the direction of travel at all times. Accordingly, it is difficult to control the attitude of the hook device a in accordance with the locus of travel.